Candidates for Moniteau County prosecutor prepare for monthlong race
Two candidates officially registered as candidates for the Moniteau County prosecuting attorney’s race last week, after the incumbent resigned as part of a plea deal.
Shayne Healea pleaded guilty to four misdemeanor charges earlier this month. The charges, stemming from Healea crashing his car into the side of a Columbia restaurant, were downgraded as part of an agreement that included the condition that Healea resign from office.
Before the guilty plea, Healea was running unopposed for re-election. Now, there are two first-time candidates campaigning for the office, but only one is on the ballot.
The county Republican committee nominated Mary Kay Lutz for the office, and Democrats chose not to submit a nomination.
Lutz said she became interested in running after the first interim prosecutor resigned after only eight days on the job. A lthough she made the decision to run recently, she is prepared to abandon her private practice if elected.
“Citizens of the county understand that I have integrity and a great work ethic,” Lutz told ABC 17 News. “And if I say I’m going to do it, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability.”
Bryan Wolford, the assistant city attorney for Jefferson City, registered as a write-in candidate on Friday, according to the county clerk. Wolford said he was motivated to run after learning he would not be the Republican nominee, because, he said, ” I think the county needs a choice.”
Wolford and Lutz both praised Healea’s prior work in office, particularly his hard stance on drug crimes.
Wolford said he wants to create a treatment court system in Moniteau County and the 26th Circuit as a whole. Treatment courts, also called drug courts, aim to treat illegal drug users rather than incarcerate them.
“I’ve seen the benefits of this first hand, you can’t ignore it,” Wolford said. “We need that in the 26th circuit.”
Write-in candidates must register with the county before the election, but voters still need to write the name down on the ballot. The deadline to register as a write-in candidate is Oct. 26.
Lutz and Wolford’s race will be decided in the election on Nov. 6. The winner will be sworn in in early January.
